Debate holds enormous potential to build 21st century skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution in the K-12 classroom, but teachers often struggle to implement and contextualize it effectively. Using Debate in the Classroom draws on research from a variety of academic disciplines to explain the benefits of debate across subject areas, and describes how teachers can use debate to enliven their curriculum and support the aims of the Common Core. Topics include:
- Introducing debate as a pedagogical practice to engage students, improve school culture, and disrupt the school to prison pipeline.
- Using debate to teach critical literacy and improve students' reading, writing, and speaking skills.
- Implementing role-playing techniques to strengthen information literacy and reasoning skills.
- Building students' empathy, perspective-taking skills, and cultural humility as they confront difficult social issues through debate.
Appendices provide a variety of tools to assist K-12 teachers in implementing debate in the classroom, including ready-made debate activities, student handouts, and a step-by-step guide to introducing students to debate in just one week.
Using Debate in the Classroom draws on research from a variety of academic disciplines to explain the benefits of debate across subject areas, and describes how teachers can use debate to enliven their curriculum and support the aims of the Common Core.
"Using Debate in the Classroom proves that the art of evidence-based argumentation through debating can change a student's life. The authors take a deep and thoughtful approach to helping us better understand the necessity for the cross-curricular application of evidence-based argumentation. This book makes clear how debating can serve as a primary tool for students to gain the 21st century skills necessary to break down barriers, overcome challenges, and build the drive and motivation necessary for achievement." -J. Scott Wunn, Executive Director, National Speech and Debate Association
"This is it -- an introduction to classroom debate that will forever change pedagogy! We learn in this volume that debate is for all disciplines, science to literature. We learn that it is the antidote to socially mediated conformity and prejudice. Critical thinking and social engagement in a poly-cultural environment is its outcome. Moreover, the appendix is a 'how-to' manual for making it happen. No one can read this book and not be transformed." --E. Culpepper Clark, Dean Emeritus, Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia
